Criminal
by plainmnmemy
Summary: She had no reasons she could name, she just knew she loved him. ***UPDATED WITH MORE CONTENT****


_**AN**_: Helloooo it's me…be grateful ya bunch of bitches I made this happy.

Just kidding I love you all.

I wanna say thank you to KatBauer and bluelilyrose for their lovely and refreshing words of advice and kindness. I asked them both to marry me in response. Lol You guys probably think I'm weird but I'm pretty sure you both follow me on tumblr and just know that's how I am!

But seriously thank you to everyone who reviewed my other stories, even the depressing ones. And I'm sorry for the rant I posted in the last one. Here is my gift to you guys who read my stories… I love you all and if I knew all of your names I'd ask you all to marry me too.

The song is _Criminal by_ Britney Spears

* * *

The hacker took one last look at her tiny cramped bunk— on the flying circus they called 'The Bus'—before hauling her bag over her shoulder and picking up the cardboard box she had haphazardly thrown some of her random belongings in. Poking her head out to check to see if the coast was clear, she quietly stepped out into the hallway, shutting her door silently behind her. It was the middle of the night and everyone was, she hoped, asleep meaning it was her only real opportunity for a clean getaway and she was _not_ wasting it.

Tip-toeing down the hallway, she came across Coulson's pod door and set the box down gently before reaching around to fish a piece of paper out of her pocket. She knelt down in front of the door, putting her palms flat on the cool tile, and lowered her face down to the inch gap between the door and the ground. She pushed the folded paper in between the gap, satisfied when it got far enough that he'd see it when he woke up. Pushing herself back up to her feet she grabbed the box once more and made her way to the hangar.

This felt _so_ _good_. Better than what she thought it would.

Sure, she'd miss the science twins and daddy Coulson; May not so much. Tripp was like the big brother she never had and he's the only person she felt actually understood her…other than _him_.

The sight of the hangar doors already gave her the relief of not having to hack her way out and cause a racket. She spotted her van in a small lot near where the plane had landed on the base and her fast walk turned into as much of a jog as the luggage she was carrying would allow.

Throwing the van side door open she all but tossed the box in as well as the bag and gripped both sides of the car frame before hauling herself in, sliding the door shut behind her. She climbed up and over to the driver's seat before plopping herself down and gripping the steering wheel with both hands. The smile on her face was not going to disappear any time soon, so why even try?

She planted her feet flat on the floor of the car and pushed her hips up so she could reach her phone in her back pocket. The screen was the only light in the parking lot other than the lights at the gate entrance, and she used her shirt to cover it up just in case anyone was patrolling outside.

A text message window popped up on her screen as she quickly typed out a message before pressing send; the response coming only seconds later. Opening the GPS on her phone, she copy and pasted the set of coordinates she had received and smirked when her phone mapped out her route.

Damn she loved technology.

Reaching behind her seat, she brought her shoulder bag to the front and threw it on the passenger seat digging out her S.H.I.E.L.D. badge and placing it on her dash before putting the key in the ignition. Is it possible to miss the sound your van makes when you turn it on? Who cares if no one else had before, she sure as hell did, and she leaned back in her seat with a sigh at the nostalgia of it all.

Hacktivist Skye was on the road again.

She drove the short, carefully, up to the front gate where two S.H.I.E.L.D. guards blocked her path with hands held out in front and guns hanging on their chests. Rolling down her window, she put on her best charm, "Hey fellas, what'd ya do to get stuck on night shift?"

Her toothy smile caused the guard by her window to blush and return her smile, "Got your badge on you mam?"

The badge was in his hand before he could blink, having prepared for the question in advance due to the regulations she knew were in place.

"Alright, have a good trip."

Winking at the guard one last time, "Thanks, hope your night gets better."

She drove down the road away from the base for ten minutes before looking at the level 1 agent badge in her hand.

She scoffed and tossed it out her open window before cranking the window back up.

"So much for that."

It wasn't as if she was _itching_ to throw the badge away—she actually liked the simple plastic badge just because it had her name on it— but knowing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sneaky ass they probably had a tracker built in.

A gas station a few miles down the road at an intersection was her first stop as she filled up for what her phone indicated would be a 3 hour journey…not _too_ bad.

Her phone beeped in her hand after the gas pump kicked off meaning the tank was full, and after pushing a few buttons, a receipt printed from the gas pump.

**Hacker**: 1  
**The Real World**: 0

What was that saying again? _'More money, more problems?' _Too bad she didn't need money to get by.

* * *

An hour into her journey she'd already gone through most of the CD's in the van, skipping songs she didn't like just because they were old, and jamming to the ones she knew the words to.

She brought her phone up to her face and brought up a text message window before activating the voice prompt on the device. She could barely keep herself on two feet sometimes; she didn't need to be texting and driving.

'_Text: Two hours to go. Send.'_

The words appeared on the screen before the animation of a message flying appeared on the screen, a notification going off before she even had the chance to put the phone down in her lap.

'_Ditch the badge?'_

She ignored the voice command as she quickly typed out a short message, knowing the device wouldn't understand her.

'_Um, duh?'_

The quick reply back annoyed her due to her trying to actually drive the van, but her anger disappeared once she read the message.

'_Good. I'll be waiting for you.'_

Turning off the screen to her phone she tried her best to not be _that typical girl_ who smiled to herself because of some boy—to no avail—and turned the music up once more to sing along with the Spice Girls.

_**He is a hustler he's no good at all.**_

Thinking about it, this went _a lot_ easier than what she thought it would. The plan sounded risky enough as it was, preparing for encounters with the team—old team— but was moving right along without any glitches.

Leaving without having a face to face talk with Coulson, though, was the main source of any regret she felt; and even then was too small for her to consider a revised plan. The note she slipped under his door before she left would have to suffice until she was far enough away that she could call him from a burner phone. The note said for him not to worry, so it was totally fine.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was fun while it lasted, but it just wasn't for the ex-Rising Tide member. Following rules had never really been her strong suit, and the definition of hacker is basically breaking any rules in their way. She learned a lot though, physically, mentally, emotionally…and so what if she picked up some knowledge of all the weak points in the agencies computer database and mainframe…not like she'd use it.

**He is a loser; he's a bum, bum, bum, bum.**

Her lips curved into a sly smile

It stay with the team wasn't an act either. She tried really hard and busted her ass to help them and felt like she played a key part in a lot of their missions. It's just…those two bullets to the gut were kind of a turn off and she really liked bikinis. She liked the way men looked at her in bikinis too, especially one man in particular. Of course he'd never seen her in one yet but she figured his invitation meant they could go anywhere they wanted and her first choice, after spending so long in the cold weather at Providence, was the beach.

The choice of freedom was one reason she accepted his offer in the first place. The battle between Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. was beginning to show signs of a long drawn out battle and after the crap she had endured since she was shot, she just wasn't feeling it.

Yeah, he'd been a big part of her problem, but she couldn't see herself saying no to him…especially with those cheek bones and newly grown beard. There was still a problem with the whole trust factor, but honestly, she'd lied, slept with a boyfriend they didn't know about after tipping him off, and leaked information to the Rising Tide within the first month of her being on the plane.

_**He lies, he bluffs, he's unreliable**_

There was no room for judgment in their relationship. They were both assholes.

She was shocked to say the least when he'd even suggested the plan to her. The handcuffs that bound her wrists to the stairwell weren't really making the environment perfect for such an important conversation, but she heard him out. After explaining that Coulson was already on his way to the plane to perform a rescue, he laid it out flat in front of her and she remembered how crazy it all felt. His feelings were real apparently, he wasn't technically loyal to Hydra as much as he was to Garrett— who was apparently going a little bonkers— and he wanted out just as bad as she did. The fact that he had such a detailed plan already formulated both scared and excited her.

_**He was a sucker with a gun, gun, gun, gun.**_

Apparently he had already slipped Mike Peterson the key to his son's cell, leaving the cyborg no reason to stand in their way when the time came, providing them with a virtually effortless escape.

The tears had slowed when he had told her he wanted out, and she agreed to the plan so quickly the look on his face made her wish she had a camera. There was one problem though; her things back on The Bus. He attempted to argue they could get new things with the money he had stowed away, but the look she threw him cut him off mid-sentence.

Since Coulson was already on his way, they figured if they left now, he'd track every step they took. So Skye suggested they let Coulson take her back, let her get her stuff and her van, and meet back up with him.

The intensity of the kiss they shared after a few seconds of just him staring at her gave her the impression that he didn't think she was that sneaky. Well…Surprise.

_**I know you told me I should stay away,**_

Hollywood directors could not have pulled off her '_rescue'_ any better, and she made a mental note to slap him later for almost shooting her in the leg as she jumped in Lola. Then again, it was probably difficult for a specialist to miss his target _on_ _purpose_.

The GPS read 20 min left and she couldn't help but feel excitement creep up her spine. The sense of adventure was a lot stronger doing this than it was she joined S.H.I.E.L.D….maybe because Grant wasn't really a boy scout anymore and was a total badass who would probably knock a guy out just for looking at her...which was totally okay with her…it would probably be the hottest thing she's ever seen.

His _slightly_ bloody ledger would probably bring up some issues down the road, but she had accepted that fact while she was packing up her things on the bus. How was it any different than what S.H.I.E.L.D. had been doing every day now that they knew Hydra had infiltrated some pretty high up levels?

_**I know you said he's just a dog astray,**_

The line between good and bad had been blurred, and for someone who apparently had been screwed over by S.H.I.E.L.D. since she was a baby, it was _really easy_ not to give a shit anymore.

She pulled her van into an abandoned convenient store parking lot, and noticed a lone black Truck parked behind the building. Looking down at her phone to confirm the location, she unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out of the vehicle once the door swung open.

The chilly damp air of 3am caused her to shiver and she pulled the sleeves of her blue and purple plaid flannel shirt down to cover her fingers and crossed her arms across her chest. She stepped carefully around to the front of the building looking for any sign of him.

God, this must look ridiculous. Is this what teenagers felt like when they snuck out at night to see their boyfriends?

_**He is a bad boy with a tainted heart,**_

The windows at the front of the store were riddled with bullet holes and the cracks throughout the glass looked like spider webs. Her eyes drifted down to the ground where she saw bullet casings scattered around the window panels before her eyes roamed back up to the set of doors in front of her.

A tentative hand pushed on the metal bar of the door and the joints of the door squeaked from lack of grease over the years. The store was dark, the items that once rested on the shelves now on the floor, drink cooler doors hanging open or cracked like the windows out front.

She stepped carefully over the glass on the ground and made her way to the middle of the store before a voice jolted her out of her investigation.

"What took you so long?"

_**And even I know this ain't smart.**_

Her eyes landed on the dark figure leaning with their arms crossed against the semi-destroyed cashiers counter, and she scoffed in response.

"Sorry, I wasn't really considering speed when I bought my van for three hundred bucks."

The slight chuckle she heard come from the man brought a smile to her face as she sauntered over to one ex-specialist Grant Ward. She threw her arms up and twirled around in a gesture to their surroundings, "Is this where the cool kids hang out? Old shot out convenient stores?"

Her smile widened when his hands landed on her hips drawing her forward to stop between his legs, her hands landing on his chest feeling the warmth underneath his black henley. How could someone feel this good?

He shrugged before looking away from her, around the room, "I don't know…It seemed…_convenient_."

_**But mama I'm in love with a criminal, **_

Her eyes rolled as he brought her closer still, bringing their bodies flush together, and her eyes fluttered shut as he leaned in. Grant pressed his lips to hers gently before breaking apart, only for her to grab the back of his head and pull him back to her.

Their lips moved against each other with such fervor that she felt as if she was going to melt from the warmth humming throughout her body. His hands felt like electricity as they moved up and down her sides before sliding down to her thighs. She jumped up when she felt him grasp the back of her thighs and when he turned around to drop her on the counter she let a moan slip through her lips.

Oh, if Coulson saw her now.

_**And this type of love isn't rational, it's physical.**_

His hands were still on the back of her knees trying to pull her even closer, and she felt him harden against her. They weren't really about to do this here were they? It had literally been 14 hours since she left him on the Bus, surely he—

His mouth on her neck interrupted her as her mind tried to catch up to what was going on. How did he get there without her knowing?

"_Skye._"

All she could do was hum in response, and he leaned back away from her neck to look her in the eyes. His hands came up, moving her hair out of her eyes as he cupped her face, her breath catching in her throat as she stared into his chocolate eyes, the emotion she found there overwhelming.

"You're still with me right?"

How in the hell could he even ask such a thing? She was freaking sitting on a dirty counter, in an abandoned convenient store, in the middle of nowhere, practically out of breath due to the extremely hot man in front of her wreaking havoc on her senses.

Her retorts all died on her lips as she brought her slim fingers up to wrap around his wrists holding her neck in place, "I can't imagine myself anywhere else, Turbo."

_**Momma please don't cry, I will be alright,**_

The smile he gave her made her heart melt. Surely killers couldn't smile like that? It was full of emotion…admiration…lo—

"I love you."

Yeah that.

She pulled him closer by his belt loops, "Yeah, I guess you're okay."

His own laugh was cut short as he brought her lips back to his and she felt dizzy when his fingertips slid in the opening of her shirt that was somehow already unbuttoned.

If being with him meant she was guilty of crimes by association…she'd draft her own wanted poster.

_**All reason aside, I just can't deny, love the guy.**_

* * *

They made their way across the country stopping in Montana at a safe house he had in the mountains, explaining the very clear reason he had this truck. Her van would not have made it up any of these mountains.

The thought of her van brought a frown to her face as she thought of the fate of her beloved vehicle.

"_No!"_

_The hacker watched her very own tall, dark, and handsome man laugh as he ignored her, and continued to pour gasoline in a circle around it. They'd already moved her stuff to his truck, why did they need to torture her poor baby?_

_With a stomp of her foot she crossed her arms and bit her bottom lip— it was honestly hard to say good bye— they'd been through so much together._

_The ex-agent opened the sliding door and threw the jerry can inside before walking towards her, bringing his arm up around her shoulders, turning her around to walk away._

"_Can't leave any trace. That's our new motto."_

_An exasperated sigh left her lips. She knew he was right, "My poor baby." From behind, Grant brought his arms around her, and tangled his hands with hers. She felt something cold and sleek press into her hand, and his fingers around hers wrapped around the hard metal. She realized it was a gun when he brought their arms up level with their eyes._

_She groaned, "Grant. Don't make me—"_

_A chuckle rumbled through his chest against her back and she felt him smile into her hair. "Come on, it's like a Valkyrie funeral."_

_Skye leaned her head back to rest on his shoulder so she could look him in the eye and she found herself returning his stupid grin._

"_You're such a nerd."_

_He shrugged before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers, and the sound of the bullet leaving the gun in their joined hands didn't register in her mind as his tongue grazed her bottom lip; the jolt of the kickback sending a pleasurable sensation through her nerves. They broke apart just as her van exploded into a ball of fire, and she was brought back to the sad ending of one of her oldest possessions._

_She let her head fall back onto his shoulder once more as she groaned again and he lowered their hands, holstering the gun in the waist band of his pants. The tug of her hand guided her away from the fire, and she found herself laughing at the absurdity of it all. _

Grant's hand wrapped around hers, jerking her out of the memory, before raising them to his lips to lay a kiss on her knuckles, "Cheer up, I'm sure Thor picked her up."

She's not sure she's ever laughed so hard…or even felt so complete.

* * *

_**He is a villain by the devil's law,**_

Before they crossed the Canadian border she had to eliminate a few compromising documents from both of their histories. One by one, she eliminated them from government agencies watch lists and falsified passports for each of them under new names.

He'd dropped her off at door of the Internet café so she could work with the excuse being the fewer buildings they went in together; the safer they were until they reached the border. She couldn't really argue with the logic. Once she was finished she walked outside with coffee for each of them and waited for him to swing by to collect her as he instructed.

_**He is a killer just for fun, fun, fun, fun.**_

A honk of a horn grabbed her attention and a white Jeep pulled up in front of her with a smiling Grant in the driver's seat. She cocked an eyebrow at him as she walked around the car and slid into the seat after he leaned over to open the door for her. His smile only widened as he thanked her for the coffee and pulled out of the shopping center's parking lot.

_**That man's a snitch and unpredictable.**_

She brought her cup up to her lips, blowing on the liquid through the opening of the lid, "Nice jeep."

They've played this game before. He'd do something and never admit to it, even though he was well aware she knew.

"Thanks," he took a drink of his coffee, smacking his lips after he swallowed before leaning his head to the side to look at her, "I felt as if a jeep matched my beard better than a truck. More adventurous don't you think?"

_**He's got no conscience he's got none, none, none, none.**_

Oh God, what had she gotten herself in to?

And how was she not shocked by this at all. The vehicle clearly belonged to someone already, the evidence being the expensive looking ski gear in the back.

"I liked the truck better."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye to catch any reaction from him, only to find him focusing on the task of merging the vehicle onto the highway before looking back at her.

"I'll pick one up for us in Calgary."

* * *

As they made their way down the road she lost herself in thought. How she was this happy when she was sitting in someone's her boyfriend just killed vehicle?

_**Oh, I know, I should let go, but no.**_

Her head lulled to the side and she watched him focus on the road ahead. When he looked at him, she didn't see a murderer…and she wasn't sure why. She saw the lost, lonely kid, some asshole stuck out in the woods with only a dog and told him to survive.

She saw that boy at the well.

She saw the broken face of a man at the café when she ran away from him.

_**He is a bad boy with a tainted heart,**_

The image that she saw the most when she looked at him was the beaten down man back at Providence. He'd tried to warn her that he wasn't a good man, and when she disagreed, it was as if she was the only person who may have ever said so.

That was the Grant Ward she fell in love with. Not the Boy Scout or even the super spy. The man who had his future ripped away from him by S.H.I.E.L.D. through John Garrett, just like S.H.I.E.L.D. took away the Brody's and her only chance of having a 'mom'.

Maybe that's why they worked together despite all their faults—and murders—and the thought provided her comfort in the sense that she may never be alone again.

_**And even I know this ain't smart**_

If the sisters back at the orphanage saw her, they'd shut themselves into the church for years, but there was nothing that could separate them now.

* * *

They made their way through the busy airport in Edmonton, where they would catch their flight to London. He'd gotten her the truck and gaped at her when she said she preferred the jeep better—the former truck owner hanging out in the dumpster behind the clothing store. They'd bought all new clothes and used jackets and new hats in an attempt to keep a low profile.

She'd already wired money to a credit card she made and smirked as she removed it from her pocket to pay for their plane tickets before he had his wallet out.

Let the scoreboard show:

**Hacker**: 2  
**The Real World:** 0

Once they left the counter he confronted her on the details of him being gentlemen which she found extremely ironic.

"You can't use your card; I haven't changed the identity on it yet."

Confusion was written on his face.

"Well whose did you use?"

Skye pulled the credit card out of her wallet and looked at the front of the card to see which name she had used, "Miriam Webster?"

He looked at the card in her hand and back up to her before slinging an arm over her shoulder.

"Skye," He pressed a kiss to her temple as he led them towards the loading bay of their plane, "did you create that identity yourself?"

The hacker snorted, "Well duh? I'm good, you don't have to tell me."

She watched him stifle a laugh with his fist and she started getting aggravated, "What's so funny?"

"Babe," the difficulty he was having keeping his laughter down was leaving him breathless, "that's the name of a dictionary company."

Skye's eyebrows furrowed before she looked back at the card she held.

Well shit.

**Hacker: **1**  
The Real World: **1

"I knew that name sounded familiar."

_**But mama, I'm in love with a criminal**_

She grumbled to herself as his laughter continued when she pulled away from him to toss the card into a trashcan they walked by, immediately bringing her phone up in order to begin the process of making a new one. She had already scheduled new credit cards for both of them to be delivered to a post office box in London by the time they reached the gate and were waiting in line to hand the attendant their tickets.

Grant's arm was still slung over her shoulder and she felt his chest rumble as he chuckled to himself.

"Fuck you Grant."

_**And this type of love isn't rational, it's physical**_

He used his arm around her shoulders to bring her closer to him and pressed his lips to the side of her head, smiling into her hair. She felt his lips on the shell of her ear and shivered as goose bumps rose up on her skin.

"Wait till we are in the air and maybe we can join _the mile high club_."

Skye brought her hand up to cover her face in embarrassment as Grant straightened back up to hand the tickets to the attendant. The hacker ignored the strange looks of the worker and stomped down the walkway when suddenly the handle on her luggage broke and she stood frozen staring down at the bag on the floor.

_**Mama please don't cry, I will be alright**_

She heard him laugh from the attendants post and she let her arms drop to her sides and let her head drop back in annoyance.

Grant's footsteps echoed in the small tunnel and he stopped to bend down and pick her bag up.

"Come on Princess."

Skye glared at him as he passed her. He's really lucky she loves him.

_**All reason aside, I just can't deny, love the guy.**_

* * *

He surprised her with his own package waiting in London when he took her into a jewelry store downtown. Two rings were waiting for them, one solid white platinum band, another white platinum band with diamonds embedded in it.

_**And he's got my name,**_

The hacker was speechless as she lifted the ring up in her palm to look at it closer even though the tears in her eyes were making it difficult to see. It was then she noticed the band had a half circle carved out of the middle and she turned to Grant to question it only to find him kneeling down with another ring in his hand.

"_Yes_."

Grant laughed at her eager reply as he took her hand holding the other ring and joined it with the ring he was holding.

"I figured I wouldn't need to ask."

He slid them together on her finger and she felt the tears cascade down her cheeks when he stood up. She brought her hand up in front of her to look at the rings, before grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and pulling him to her, crashing her lips against his.

_**Tattooed on his arm,**_

His arms wrapped around her waist and she heard the sale clerks behind the counters sigh and aw when he lifted her up and twirled her around.

_**His lucky charm.**_

Skye's arms were around his neck when he put her back on her feet, "No," she shook her head furiously as he tried to wipe away her tears, "you didn't have to ask."

The thing was though, _he really didn't._

She handed him the envelope their credit cards were in and told him to open it. He cocked his eyebrow at her in suspicion and did as he was told, taking out the paper inside. Skye's thoughts were wrapped up in the rings on her hands and she gazed back up to him to look at the matching band on his finger.

"Oh my God Skye."

His laughter confused the sales clerks as they watched the scene play out before them. Wiping her tears off her face she laughed with him as he folded the papers back up into the envelope.

Grant thanked the clerks for their trouble, and with her hand laced in his, led them out of the store towards the train station. He brought their joined hands up and kissed the rings on her finger before letting them drop between them as she opened her mouth to explain.

"I knew we'd be buying tickets for trains and we needed new identities with our cards, so I figured it would look less suspicious if—"

The smile he gave her could warm her heart forever even if it snowed for the rest of her life.

_**So I guess it's okay,**_

"At least now we don't have to plan a wedding."

The couple laughed again before he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and pulled her by their joined hands against him and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss, pulling away a second later.

"So which name do I use? Slater or—"

"I made two actually."

Grant's eyes widened in suspicion as he smirked down at her, "Oh did you?"

The young woman nodded her head, her free hand smoothing his shirt over his chest, "So you can chose whichever one you want."

His lips pressed to hers once more, only pulling away slightly so their breath was mingling as he spoke against her lips, "I love you, Mrs. Ward."

Skye couldn't quell the toothy smile tugging the corner of her lips as her hand rubbed the stubble on his chin.

"I love you too, Mr. Ward."

They were never ones for white weddings anyway. The slip of paper was all they needed.

_**He's with me**_

* * *

They were actually surprised it took this long for anyone to catch up to them.

Grant pointed out their tail as they walked through the streets of Paris after getting off the Euro train from London. Whoever it was wouldn't be dumb enough to confront them in public so they at least had that going for them. Before the train stopped she had acquired a hotel for them, so they would have to dispatch of the four men before they made their way there.

_**And I hear people talk**_

Skye noticed that her husband—oh my god, husband—was leading them in the opposite direction of their hotel and she figured it was in order to disorient the lackeys.

They'd lost two of them in the crowd before dipping into an alley. Grant pressed her into the brick wall, his body covering hers, as they waited quietly. After several minutes he leaned away from her and the wall, and she met his worried glance.

There was no way it was that easy.

_**Try to make remarks**_

She was shoved against the wall before she could blink and covered her ears as gunshots rang out through the alley followed by the sounds of a struggle. A startling crack sent a wave of nausea over her before a body hit the ground across from her. Looking up, she watched Grant aim his gun at someone she couldn't see and closed her eyes to avoid the dead man's open eyes across from her.

"Who do you work for?"

The hacker flinched at the ice cold voice and knew this was Grant the killer talking.

"Did you really _think_ you could get away?"

_**Keep us apart**_

Grant's grip on his gun tightened and the muscles in his jaw clenched, "I won't ask you again."

Skye waited for the man's answer only to jump when Grant fired his gun—the dull thud of a body hitting the ground the only sound in the alley.

"Are you okay?"

Her eyes snapped up to the concerned gaze of the man in front of her and in an instant the killer was gone and the caring protector had taken his place.

Nodding her head silently, she placed her hand in his outstretched one and allowed him to pull her up and into his chest where he wrapped her in his arms. He led them out of the alley and towards the hotel, neither saying a word as they checked in. She couldn't help noticing in the elevator that his grip on her hand was a little tighter than normal.

_**But I don't even hear**_

They'd made it to their hotel room and he pulled her behind him into the room, only releasing her once he closed the door behind them, leaning his forehead on the wood as the lock clicked.

"Grant."

His fist slammed on the door by his head and she jumped at the sound but didn't turn away. He let out a ragged breath when she wrapped her arms around him from behind and let her head rest between his shoulder blades.

"It's okay, Grant."

_**I don't care**_

She felt him lean away from the door and she loosened her grip to allow him to turn to face her. Once his eyes met her, she saw the fear in the hollow orbs, and slowly brought a hand up to rest on his cheek.

His mouth opened and closed a couple times before he collapsed in her arms, his own wrapping around her tightly, one of his hands tangling in her hair cupping the back of her neck holding her to him. She felt him breathe deeply and tears sprung to her own eyes as the adrenaline wore off them both.

"I've killed—God knows how many people—but…it's never felt like that before."

Skye stayed quiet, waiting for him to finish and she had no doubt he felt her tears soak into his shirt as they clung to each other. He was right. It did feel different than before, and she thought quietly that for the second time in his life, he feared he'd lost her.

He leaned back to look at her and cupped her face with both hands now, his own eyes glossed with unshed tears.

"I can't," His voice hoarse as he tried emphasized the words, increasing the pressure of his fingers on her skin; "_I won't_ lose my wife over a life we left behind."

* * *

_**But mama, I'm in love with a criminal.**_

They fell together on the mattress, their lips moving against one another furiously, and she noticed her shirt had gone missing somewhere between the door and the bed but she couldn't really bring herself to care. He leaned up to rid himself of the jacket and shirt he still wore and pressed her back down into the mattress bringing his mouth down to her chest as he mouthed her breast through her bra. She pushed him up and they rose up together as she reached behind to unclasp her bra, throwing it across the room the minute it left her skin.

His hand on her lower back brought their chests together as the hand in her hair brought her lips to his as they knelt together on the bed. Her own hands dropped to their waist as her nimble fingers shot for the fly of his jeans, sliding her hand inside to cup him through the fabric of his underwear, a moan ripping from his throat at the contact. They fell back onto the sheets once more, with him shuttering above her with each pass of her gentle fingers along his shaft.

_**And this type of love isn't rational, it's physical**_

Reaching down, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist, and getting the hint, she removed her hand from his jeans propping herself up on one elbow as she ran a hand through his hair to bring his face back to hers. She shot him an annoyed look when he resisted, and the grin he sent her in return sent warmth rushing to her core.

He rose to his knees once more before stepping off the bed, removing his jeans in the process. One of his knees rested on the bed as he leaned over her to the button on her own pants and once he had them unclasped ripped them off her legs and threw them in the floor.

_**Mama please don't cry, I will be alright**_

The skin to skin contact was more of what they needed right now and the intensity of the sensation had her body tingling. His fingertips roamed over her body before dipping under the waistband of her plain cotton underwear before they stilled just above where she needed him. She rose her hips off the bed in an attempt to move his digits lower and he smiled at her attempt before he lowered his lips to her in a slow kiss.

She adjusted herself to the slow pace of the kiss only to be thrown back into the fire when he slipped his fingers through her folds. One finger, then two, and she swore she was going to go insane if he didn't do something soon. His breath on her neck increasing the heat inside her when he placed wet kisses down the column of her throat as he teased her.

"_Grant_."

_**All reason aside,**_

He rose quickly and divested them of the rest of their last remaining barriers before lowering himself between her thighs, lacing their fingers together by her head. Poised at her entrance, their eyes met briefly and her breath caught in her throat from anticipation.

_**i just can't deny,  
**_  
Her back arched up as he entered her with a powerful thrust.

_**Love the guy.**_

* * *

She allowed him to leave the bed long enough so he could make a call, and even then wasn't able to keep her hands off of him, causing Grant's words to hitch as he spoke. His free hand gripped the two smaller ones slithering over his abs, stilling them long enough for him to finish the conversation.

"Alright man— yeah— we'll see you there."

The hacker tried to hide her devious smile as she trailed her lips down her husband's spine— still reeling from the word itself—knowing she was in 'trouble'. Leaning forward to place the phone back onto its cradle, he brought her with him with his hand still holding hers before he turned his head to the side to look over his shoulder.

"Having fun there Mrs. Ward?"

Giggling slightly, she brought her head up to rest her chin on his shoulder, pecking him on the lips. The grip on her hands had loosened and she felt him thread their fingers together, keeping them against his abdomen.

She hummed in response as she tried to think of something else to say, but the man was a little distracting and it was still morning…of course her brain wasn't going to be working at normal capacity. Her thoughts were interrupted as he released her hands to bring his arm up and over her as he dropped back down onto the pillows, bringing half of her body to drape over his. Giving up all attempts at a suitable retort, she allowed her head to rest on his chest and closed her eyes when she felt him kiss the crown of her head before running his fingers through her hair.

How was it even possible that the hands that were currently running up and down her arm and through her hair soothingly had caused so much pain to others, and even killed?

Someone had clearly mixed definitions up somewhere along the way.

* * *

It took them a couple more hours of 'soothing' each other before they finally emerged from their hotel and back on to the busy streets of Paris. The sun was already starting to lower in the sky and she berated herself for letting their whole day go to waste.

Then again…

Showering with your hot husband really wasn't considered wasted time right?

Grant once again took the lead, her fingers laced through his, as he wove them in and out of the streets. The only things they still carried were in her one shoulder bag, having no time to wash the clothes they had brought along, and ditching them out of necessity. Her hand jerked her out of her thoughts as she was pulled through an entry way, his hand moving to the small of her back as he held the door open for her.

The bar was busy with people covering almost every inch of the room. The bar itself was crowded and the couches in the lounge were sitting more than what they were meant for, but she felt the hand on her back push slightly as Grant nudged her towards the tables and booths.

They walked past a couple booths in a row and she kept her eyes peeled open for an empty one, and before she turned to tell him as such, his hand had moved to her shoulder and was pushing her down into the seat of a booth someone was already sitting in.

Panicking slightly at what the hell Grant was doing, her head shot up to look at Grant before flicking her gaze back to the man sitting across from her. A beer bottle in his hand and one arm slung on the back of the booths seats, Skye tried to make out a face but his ball cap kept it hidden as he kept his head bowed.

Grant's arm draped over her shoulders as he brought his other hand down on the table, the noise startling the man in front of us causing him to raise his head. Skye's breath hitched in her throat when her wide eyes met the man's own as he smiled back at her.

There was no fucking way.

Hearing Grant chuckle beside her she flicked her eyes back and forth across the table trying to figure out the inside joke when the man started laughing as well. Her lips must have parted in shock as she tried to find words, only for her mouth to drop open more as she tried to put two and two together.

"You know Skye, if dicks had wings, your mouth could be an airport right now."

Okay that woke her up.

"Dude, come on." At least Grant's brain was still functioning enough to defend her. Which brought back her trying to figure out what Antoine Triplett was doing sitting across from her in a downtown Paris bar.

His hands came up in front of his face in defense, "My bad, my bad. I couldn't resist."

The two men laughed again and Skye's head shook and she raised her hand to point across the table, "What are you doing here?" Looking back to Grant beside her, "What is he doing here?"

Trip took a swig of his beer before he gestured to the waitress walking by him for another round, "That," he tipped his bottle towards the couple across from him, "is an excellent question." Grant brought his arm out from behind her to clasp his hands together on the table, his thumbs twiddling around each other as he leaned to nudge her shoulder with his.

"I called him this morning."

Skye's eyes narrowed as she glared at him, "Why?" Weren't they supposed to be avoiding Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

She watched the specialist beside her shake his head as he looked at his hands on the table, a small smile spreading onto his lips as he shrugged, "Well, you see—"

"Well you see," Trip's interruption was cut off as the waitress appeared with a beer for each of them, "thank you sweetheart," the waitress blushed when he winked at her before walking back towards the bar. His attention turned back and he scooted their bottles over in front of them, "I'm as big of an asshole as the two of you."

Skye cocked an eyebrow at the agent in front of her before she felt Grant lean in to her shoulder again, his hand lacing with hers under the table. "Skye," her head shot back to look beside her as she waited for an explanation. This was all so confusing, someone needed to clear it up soon or she was going to pass out from being so dizzy. "Trip's been working with me since he and Garrett showed up on the Bus."

The whole world just freaking stopped.

* * *

Skye had gone through two beers once the explanation was over and she felt as if she needed to switch over to something stronger. The two specialists, who apparently had a bromance going on, took turns explaining how everything had worked.

Apparently, the two protégé's of John Garrett got together for a beer after they first arrived on the Bus, and got to talking about things such as missions, where they were during the Battle of New York, the Academy…their training. They both recognized the reluctance in the others reaction to talk about how they were trained, and Trip's story revealed that Grant wasn't the only one who was trained to be a lap dog.

They compared situations to one another and before long the issue of Garrett's hidden allegiances came up. Turns out Trip had been recruited by the man too, but kept reservations about serving the old organization completely. Grant told the other man everything, including his own ties to Hydra, and from there the plan of their escape sprung to life.

Trip would stay on the Bus with the team, mainly Skye, keeping an eye on them as they hunted down the Clairvoyant. His job was to keep them off Grant's heels so he could get things ready on his own end with Hydra until the time was right for them to both high tail it out of there.

"But what about Jemma?"

Skye's question seemed to catch Trip off guard and his eyebrows raised in confusion, "What about her?"

"You two totally had a thing for each other….You just up and left—"

"Woah, woah, woah!" The alcohol allowed the shock to wear off and now Skye was simply curious about all of the minor details…such as the flirtation that ran rampant between him and the biologist. She was now leaning forward, both elbows on the table, Grant's arm behind her as he leaned back against the seat.

"The science twins have their own thing going on. I was not part of that." The way he was laughing gave her the impression that he thought the idea was ridiculous so she continued to pry not satisfied with his answer. "No way, you two totally flirted all the time. Don't even deny it."

She smiled wickedly as he rolled his eyes, "Look, it's kind of like…" he tilted his bottle towards Grant, "it's kind of like what Grant and May did."

Skye felt his muscles tense beside her as he suddenly shot up away from the back of the seat and straightened up, "Hey, leave me out of this! It's bad enough that this one here apparently knew about it the whole time."

"Well you guys weren't exactly as subtle as you thought you were. I mean gosh, that train in Italy was totally red flag number one thousand." Grant rolled his eyes at her comment, and she giggled as she looped her arm through the crook of his elbow, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

No wonder she liked Trip all this time…he really was an asshole, just like them. Instead of the three amigos, they should be the three….what's the Spanish word for amigos?

"Oh, speaking of Italy."

Grant's head rose to look across the table, but Skye's buzzed focus remained on his face, watching him in a daze as he listened to the other man.

"You're going to have to cancel your Italian countryside vacay's for a while." Trip took another sip of his beer as Grant cocked his head to the side in question, "Why's that?" Skye vaguely could remember Grant telling her their final destination was to a safe house in Italy…but the way this third bottle of beer she had acquired tasted, she really wasn't sure what all she's heard.

"Man, the countryside is old school anyway. It was time you found a new vacation spot anyway."

Grant groaned out loud and leaned back against the cushions once more and Skye rested her head on his shoulder as she watched the two men talk. This was nice. Drinking with her boys, listening to them talk about things….things she should probably be listening to, but right now she was definitely comfy resting her head on her man's shoulder. Her man's hard, muscly, and surprisingly warm shoulder.

"They found it, didn't they?"

Trip shrugged slightly, "Sure, we'll go with that."

Her eyes roamed across Grant's facial features up before settling them on the creases in his forehead as he shot Trip a pointed look.

"Torched it."

Skye felt him curse under his breath and she lowered her gaze back down to their interlocked hands in her lap.

"But," Trip reached in his jacket and brought out a white envelope, "I got you a sort of 'my condolences for your house burning down' present but since you went and got all wifed up on me," he slid the envelope forward, " I guess it can be a wedding present."

The envelope slid across the table and Skye released his hand so he could bring both up to open hacker leaned forward slightly to see what was inside before reaching over Grant's arms and pulling out the keys inside.

"Keys?"

Looking up only to find a smug smile looking at them both, she tried to think of what kind of riddle this could per usual, Grant's brain was working far more efficiently than her alcohol hazed one.

"Keys to what?"

Skye eyed him wearily, suddenly feeling as if her energy was leaving her, as he raised his hand for another round. Oh God, another one?

"Oh, nothing special," His smug smile turned into a full toothy smile, "just some apartment in downtown Barcelona."

That woke her up.

Grant looked at the keys in his wife's hand and then shook his head at his friend, "Dude, no, we can't accept that. How did you—"

A raised hand cut Grant off, "Man, it's no big deal. It recently, uh, came onto the market. It's fully furnished and everything."

Skye was beginning to understand this unspoken killer lingo, and knew that was the not so subtle way of saying, 'I thought it looked good for you guys, so I took care of whoever used to live inside.' Still though, she was beyond ecstatic.

"What about you, man, where you headed?"

Trip pointed out the window across the street, "Found me a cozy little place right there." Grant shook his head in disbelief and Skye heard him scoff under his breath as the waitress brought over the check.

They finished the round of beer before the hacker insisted on paying for the entire thing, much to Grant's protest.

As if that's ever stopped her before. 

**Hacker:2**

**Real Life: 1**

Saying their goodbyes, and 'bro' hugging it out, the couple hailed a taxi and made their way to the airport. Not an hour later Grant's new phone lit up with a text message.

'You guys know where I live now. There ain't a fucking excuse in the book you can use to not come see me. Assholes.'

Well, at least they had a friend. An asshole friend.

But a friend none the less.

* * *

A month had passed and the 'Slater's' were finally beginning to settle in to their home. It was a warm, clear sky night, and Skye leaned over the railing of their balcony to watch in awe at the constant flow of people and sounds of the past few months had been….crazy….to say the least, and she couldn't find it in her to regret any decision she made.

She missed the team, but she knew if she had chosen to stay with them, she'd have fought the long hard battle against Hydra only for them to come out victorious and leave her alone still. Her decision to leave really hadn't affected the team that much and they brought down Hydra just the same, with a little help from Mike Peterson apparently.

The lessons she'd learned along the way were some of the most influential— and shocking— things she had ever experienced. She'd learned the difference between good and evil started off small and from there expanded. People weren't born evil, they were made that way. People aren't always what they seem; you may never know what someone's thinking until the grand scheme of things is revealed.

The most important lesson, was acceptance. She and Grant both have done so many things wrong in their lifetime and they would have to live with those decisions for the rest of their time on earth. Still though, neither asked for forgiveness, they merely, accepted the faults of the other and moved on. Yelling and screaming wouldn't bring back the people he's killed or the money she's stolen from people, all they could do now was officially leave that life behind them and start anew.

Strong arms snaked across her waist and she raised her hand up behind her head to come in contact with soft strands of hair, a strong stubble covered chin scratching deliciously over her neck. Warm lips trailed their way up and along her jaw and she hummed in approval.

"Well, hello to you too."

His chuckle reverberated through him and a content smile stretched onto her lips as she turned in his arms, leaning up to cover his lips with hers briefly. Releasing his hold on her, he took a couple steps backwards into the apartment, "I got you something."

She rolled her eyes. He really needed to stop showing up with all these random gifts, he was starting to spoil her and of course she liked it but—

Grant leaned down to pick the ball of fur up before turning back to her, his hand taking the small paw to wave at her, "Say hi to momma."

The squeal of excitement caused him to wince as she ran over to take the small puppy from him.

"Oh my gosh, Grant! He's adorable."

Walking over to her, he reached up and stroke the puppy's head, "He's 100% pure Doberman." Her hair flew around her as she quickly snapped her gaze to her husbands.

"Babe…pure breeds cost a lot of money."

The ex-specialist started to back away and shrugged before turning completely, making his way towards their kitchen.

"Grant Ward."

They only used their real last names when they were angry or having sex. It sounded a lot like Pride and Prejudice but he'd never seen that so he had no idea.

He stopped in the hallway and let his head fall back before groaning and turning to face her once more, "Yes dear?"

**'Cause mama I'm in love with a criminal**

Sauntering up to him with the small puppy in her arms she smiled at him sweetly and looked up at him through her eye lashes, "Where'd the puppy come from sweetie." Her fake voice was cutting him like a knife she knew, it always did. He'd always said the kill it with kindness bit was downright scary coming from her and used it against him frequently.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed and answered her slowly, "The pet store." She nodded her head in approval and slinked up closer to him and put one hand on his chest, keeping the puppy in the crook of her arm. "And…how much was he babe?"

A sly smile broke out onto his face and he looked away from her, "Uhhh."

**And this type of love isn't rational, it's physical**

"Grant Ward! You freaking stole the damn dog didn't you?"

She turned away from him back out onto the balcony when his answer was simply a shrug, feeling him coming up behind her after a few moments.

"I'm sorry."

This is what he excelled at. Making her feel terrible for yelling at him. But dammit, they were supposed to be turning over a new leaf…not doing what they used to do. She sighed before turning to him, looking at the puppy now asleep in her arms, "I guess it's alright." She shot him a glare, "But no more! You promised!" At least he wasn't killing people… had to look on the bright side.

**Mama please don't cry I will be alright,**

Grant scoffed at her and she arched an eyebrow at his sarcastic response, "What?" He brought his hands to her shoulders and turned her around to look out over the busy street below them once more before wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

He pressed a kiss to the side of her head and she felt the puffs of air from his chuckle on the shell of her ear. "Kind of like you promised to not wire fake money to our accounts anymore?"

She froze in his arms and she knew that he felt it. Trying to deflect the accusation, "I don't know what you're talking about." He laughed again before gently squeezing his arms tighter around her.

"Okay, so I'll just pretend you didn't wreck the car and buy a new one."

Sighing in defeat, she looked back over her shoulder at him, "How did you find out?" His hands dropped down to rub up and down her arms as the air began to cool around them.

**All reason aside,**

"Babe," another chuckle, "you bought a completely different model car."

How did she mess that up.

**Hacker: **2

**The Real World: **2 

Maybe some things were meant to never change.

**I just can't deny,**

Well played life. Well played.

**Love the guy.**

* * *

_**AN: **_ Well, that was beyond fun. It was ONLY supposed to be a short songfic and then that van scene came in my head and I was like but it doesn't go with the song, and I said fuck it, and then the airport and she dropped her bag and I was literally laughing at myself annnndd yeah.

Hope you liked it. REVIEW AND COMMENT PLEASEEE


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